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Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012 MY FINAL THOUGHTS/WRAP-UP

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Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012 MY FINAL THOUGHTS/WRAP-UP

Source: http://content.clearchannel.com/cc-common/mlib/1096/09/1096_1346882106.jpg

Just to refresh our minds, here is the quick rundown of our top hip hop entrepreneurs of 2012 according to Forbes “Cash Kings of 2012”:

  1. Dr. Dre – $110 Million
  2. P. Diddy – $45 Million
  3. Jay-Z – $38 Million
  4. Kanye West – $35 Million
  5. Lil Wayne – $27 Million
  6. Drake – $20.5 Million
  7. Birdman – $20 Million
  8. Nicki Minaj – $15.5 Million
  9. Eminem – $15 Million

Source: http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2012/0905_hip-hop-cash-kings.html

The reason why I chose this topic for my blog: As a future entrepreneur in the music/entertainment industry and also a big fan of hip hop music, I thought this (blogging for our artist management class) was the perfect opportunity to research about hip hop entrepreneurs and their different entrepreneurial business ventures.

My favorite entrepreneur on the list: No disrespect to Dr. Dre and his ridiculously successful business venture with his Beats by Dre headphones, but I thought overall Jay-Z had the most diverse and long-term growth potential portfolio. His partnerships with the Brooklyn Nets, New York Yankees, Live Nation and Duracell (just to name a few) are unparalleled and I can only imagine where his next investments will be. I honestly think Jay-Z will be able to top both Diddy and Dre in the next couple years.

And speaking of Jay-Z, I wanted to share a quick little video of a cute grandma not recognizing who the $475 million man is on the subway next to her: .

Who I see making top 9 next year that is not on the list: Although Forbes has him listed at number 15 this year with $7.5 Million, I honestly think Curtis Jackson, also known as 50 Cent or Fiddy, is never out of the equation. He actually lead the entrepreneur list back in 2008 (http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00017719.html) with $150 Million, so knowing him, he is bound to make some big moves this coming year. Also, one of the main reasons why I chose 50 Cent is because word on the street says he traveled to Dubai this year to sell his new SMS wireless headphone product that is nearly indestructible. Of course, that is not the only reason why I chose Fiddy, but I see (expect) great things ahead for this former G-Unit member. Here is the link to his newest business venture:

Last words: Once again, thank you taking this 10-blog journey with me. I hope you found my blogs somewhat entertaining, interesting and/or resourceful to you.

And if you’re new to my blog, please check out my previous detailed blogs on each of the top 9 hip hop entrepreneurs of 2012.

*Please remember to like, comment and share my blogs with others!

Thank you.

By: Aaron (Duke)

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #1 DR. DRE

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The purpose of this blog is to inform the class of America’s “Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012” and the various business ventures in different industries that contributed to their individual successes.

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #1 DR. DRE

Name: Andre Romelle Young

Stage Name(s): Dr. Dre

Age: 47

Forbes Hip Hop’s Top Earners List: #1 of 9

How Much??? $110 Million

Yes! If you haven’t guessed it already, topping Diddy (last year’s Forbe’s “Cash Kings” chart leader), Jay-Z and Kayne this year, the most successful hip hop entrepreneur of 2012 is Dr. Dre!

What’s really surprising is that compared to the other entrepreneurs who have multiple streams to increase their revenue, Dr. Dre really only had one this year, a source that generated more than double, almost triple, the amount of Diddy’s earnings (#2 on the list)! Now THAT’S impressive if you ask me!

Beats by Dr. Dre

In July 2008, Dr. Dre released his brand of headphones, Beats by Dre, which was made by Monster. Their marketing and PR team did an excellent job advertising and promoting their different headphone products. From sports athletes to artists to brands, Beats by Dre made sure that these influential figures in the society were rocking the company’s personally customized headphones – turning the brand into a must-get fashion accessory.

 Here are some examples of different celebrities rocking Dre headphones:

  1. Great Britian’s 2012 Olympic team customized Beats headphones – Cullen Jones Source:http://allhiphop.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/cullen-jones.jpg
  2. Lebron James.
  3. Lil Wayne with his own line of Beats by Dre Source:http://cdn.theversed.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Lil-Wayne-Beats-By-Dre.jpg
  4. Mr. Beiber got into the action also! Source:http://ryanseacrest.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/600-justbeatsjustin-120310.jpg
  5. Katie Holmes even!                                                   Source: http://media.onsugar.com/files/2010/04/14/4/192/1922507/65b4f5af083c695a_Katie.jpg

Hewlett Packard also saw this as a huge opportunity and decided to partner with Dr. Dre to make a new laptop called HP ENVY 15 Beats limited edition this year, which includes Beats Audio inside the laptop and a Beats by Dre headphone on the side. The commercial’s actually pretty hilarious:

It’s evident that Beats by Dre is more than just a headphone; it’s a brand that plays a huge role influencing all parts of the entertainment industry. Thus, recognizing this potential, a Taiwanese electronics company HTC paid $300 million for a 51 percent stake in Dr Dre’s headphones operation last year. Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2199025/Dr-Dre-built-headphones-empire-paid-110million-year.html –

Giving Dr. Dre an enormous payday…pocketing more than $110 million dollars.

And you wonder why the most anticipated album of the decade “Detox” hasn’t been released yet… He was busy making $110 million!!!

Congratulations to Dr. Dre for his successful venture and coming in at #1 most successful and influential hip hop entrepreneur of 2012.

Please tune in again to my final blog, as I give my final thoughts of the entire wrap up the entire journey.

By: Aaron Kim (Duke)

Extra source: http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2012/0905_hip-hop-cash-kings.html

*Sources are provided within the post.

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #2 P. DIDDY

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The purpose of this blog is to inform the class of America’s “Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012” and the various business ventures in different industries that contributed to their individual successes.

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #2 P. DIDDY

Name: Sean Jean Combs

Stage Name(s): Diddy, P. Diddy, Puff Daddy

Age: 43

Forbes Hip Hop’s Top Earners List: #2 of 9

How Much??? $45 Million

As you can see, as we get closer and closer to #1, the list of business ventures of these hip hop entrepreneurs start to increase exponentially; P. Diddy is no exception.

P. Diddy, the CEO of Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group and last year’s #1 hip hop entrepreneur, again had an very lucrative year in 2012.

In addition to Making the Band MTV shows, here are some of his other business ventures that have been instrumental in building his empire:

  1. Sean John Clothing, own by Christian Casey Group which is owned by Bad Boy. The clothing line created in 1998 and was been has reportedly making $100 million a year with numerous fashion design nominations. In 2011, they made an exclusive contract with Macy’s . Link: http://visionaryartistrymag.com/2011/09/sean-john-tailor-made-success/
  2. Sean John fragrance under Sean Jean Clothing. In 2005, P. Diddy made a joint venture with M.A.C., an Estée Lauder company. Sean John’s fragrance, Unforgivable, reached No. 1 in the U.S. department stores in 2006. The line expanded to Unforgivable Woman and I Am King, which are sold in more than 35 different countries. Links: http://www.elcompanies.com/pages/sean-john.aspx
  3. In 2003-04, Diddy teamed up with Reebok to design Dallas Mavericks’ (NBA team) alternate jerseys. The players still wear this jersey today. Here is the link: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1480965/mavericks-tap-p-diddy-design-jerseys.jhtml

  4. In 2007, Diddy and Diageo partnered to manage all branding and marketing initiatives for Ciroc Vodka together. Through this venture, Diddy was in charge of all the brand marketing strategies for Ciroc, while sharing 50 percent share of all profits. Here is the link for this alliance: http://www.nme.com/news/p-diddy/3203
  5. In 2008, Sean Jean buys Enyce clothing line from Liz Claiborne for $20 million. Here is the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/liz-black/enyce-sold-to-sean-john_b_136853.html
  6. In 2010, announced to develop a business school for entrepreneurs: http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/w0000842.html (I wouldn’t mind enrolling!)
  7. In 2012 announced deal with Comcast to launch cable music network channel Revolt in 2013. A show targeted for the African-American audiences. He will own the channel outright. Here is the link: http://rapfix.mtv.com/2012/01/24/diddy-next-venture-music-themed-cable-network/

Here is a YouTube clip of the “BLACK JAMES BOND”: . Show’s P. Diddy on a more personal level.

Although some were obviously more profitable than others, I believe every single of these ventures contributed to the diversity and growth of his business portfolio as a businessman – making him the 2nd most successful and influential hip hop entrepreneur of 2012.

“I’m not just a celebrity endorser, I’m a brand builder. I’m a luxury brand builder” – P. Diddy

(Please tune in next time to find out this year’s #1 hip hop entrepreneur! Hint: Our #1 mainly invested in just one venture that proved to be very, very rewarding.)

By: Aaron Kim (Duke)

*Exra sources:

http://www.blackentrepreneurprofile.com/profile-full/archive/2012/february/article/sean-combs/

http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2012/0905_hip-hop-cash-kings.html

Other sources are provided within the post.

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #3 JAY-Z

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The purpose of this blog is to inform the class of America’s “Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012” and the various business ventures in different industries that contributed to their individual successes.

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #3 JAY-Z

Name: Sean Corey Carter

Stage Name(s): Jay-Z

Age: 42

Forbes Hip Hop’s Top Earners List: #3 of 9

How Much??? $38 Million

WE FINALLY REACHED OUR TOP 3!!!

Ok, moving on.

Jay-Z.  I’m pretty sure we all know what he’s been up to as a musician/CEO of Roc-Nation, but do we (really) know what he’s been up to lately as an entrepreneur? I took some time to research his recent ventures, and let’s just say, this man is ALL business. It’s amazing how he’s constantly involved in large projects that end up being lucrative beyond belief; he should literally be on the cover of Forbe’s magazine on every single issue!

Here are some RECENT business ventures he’s been on the past couple years:

  1. In 2003, Jay-Z first opened his 40-40 restaurant & bar night club chain. He has one in New York City, Atlantic City and now in Barclay’s Center (2012), where the new Brooklyn Net’s basketball team play. Link to the new 40-40 location in Brooklyn: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1694595/jay-z-welcomes-rihanna-j-cole-new-40-40-club-barclays.jhtml
  2. In April 2012, Jay-Z’s clothing company, Rocawear, landed a partnership deal with the New York Yankees. Here in the link: http://www.vibe.com/article/rocawear-announces-partnership-ny-yankees
  3. Jay-Z plans to open another 40-40 restaurant and bar chain in London, partnering up with famous footballer Ashley Cole. Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/05/us-jayz-ashleycole-idUSTRE76434720110705
  4. In June 2012, Jay-Z invested in Duracell Powermat – Proctor and Gamble’s Duracell brand and Powermat Technologies partnered together to create wireless mats that charge smartphones and other electronics by just laying them on these mats. Here is the link to Duracell’s Powermat commerical where “B” aka Beyonce is calling Jay-Z in the commerical: Here is the link to the venture: http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2012/06/jay-z-teams-up-with-duracell-and-powermat-for-wireless-power-nation-venture/
  5. In April 2012, Jay-Z joined forces with Will Smith to invest in Viddy, a new app similar to instagram, let’s iPhone users create short videos for friends. Here is the link to the venture between the two: http://uptownmagazine.com/2012/04/will-smith-jay-z-join-forces-for-latest-business-venture/. Will Smith and Jay-Z also made previous venture together a year ago involving Will’s daughter, Willow Smith, who is signed under Roc-Nation (Jay-Z’s label), to make a movie called “Annie.” Here is the link: http://hiphopwired.com/2011/01/26/jay-z-and-will-smith-start-movie-venture/
  6. Put out his second book, “Empire State of Mind: Jay-Z’s Journey from Street Corner to Corner Office” in 2011. http://www.amazon.com/Empire-State-Mind-Street-Corner/dp/1591845408
  7. Part ownership of the Brooklyn Nets (help relocate and build a new stadium in Brooklyn). Rumor has it that he only owns 1/15th of 1% (about 0.067%) of the New Jersey Nets, but he will be earning millions from it. Inside Barclay’s Center includes Jay-Z’s 40-40 restaurant, a Rocawear store and many other interesting arrangements that cater to Jay-Z’s interests, not to mention, eight sold out concerts in the arena. Here is the link for more information:http://www.businessinsider.com/jay-z-brooklyn-nets-power-2012-8
  8. In 2012, Jay-Z executive produces NBA 2K13, basketball video game from 2K Sports. More specifically, he oversaw the soundtrack of the game. Here is the trailer for the video game:
  9. In 2008, Live Nation made a 360-degree deal contract for $150 million with Jay-Z for the next decade. Here is the link: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1584696/jay-z-sign-150-million-live-nation-deal-report.jhtml (This is more old news, but I couldn’t leave it out because we’ve been talking about it a lot in our classes.)

Here is a link to an awesome video I found that wraps up Jay-Z’s business ventures in six minutes: Jay-Z’s Successes and Failures Video in 6 Minutes!

Oh, and it doesn’t hurt to have a wife that makes a ridiculous amount annually also. Beyoncé and Jay-Z together is the highest paid star couple of 2012. Here is the link to the exact amounts they both earned the past year: http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/09/beyonce-jay-z-worlds-highest-paid-star-couple/

As you can see, Jay-Z’s not going anywhere. I am really interested to see which industry Jay-Z decides to dominate next.

“I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man!” Jay-Z

Jay-Z is the 3rd most successful and influential hip hop entrepreneur of 2012.

(We’re so close! Please stay tuned, and let’s count down to #1 together!)

By: Aaron Kim (Duke)

Extra sources: http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2012/0905_hip-hop-cash-kings.html

*Sources are provided within the post.

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #6 DRAKE (RE-UPLOADED!)

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NOTE: I apologize for this blog being out of order (accidentally skipped from #7 to #5). I just realized for some reason #6 was not uploaded/deleted. I’m sorry for the inconvenience!

The purpose of this blog is to inform the class of America’s “Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012” and the various business ventures in different industries that contributed to their individual successes.

(RE-UPLOADED!) Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #6 DRAKE

Name: Aubrey Drake Graham

Stage Name(s): Drake

Age: 26

Forbes Hip Hop’s Top Earners List: #6 of 9

How Much??? $20.5 Million

Drake is a very unique case. Unlike the other artists who ventured out into other industries to increase their revenue streams, he earned most of his income purely through touring and selling records in the music industry this year.

The few endeavors outside of the music industry:

  1. Sprite endorsement. Sprite wanted to have a campaign where teens had a platform where they can express their creativity through music and film and chose Drake to be the face of the “The Spark” project:  http://www.billboard.com/news/drake-teams-with-sprite-for-spark-campaign-1004067025.story#/news/drake-teams-with-sprite-for-spark-campaign-1004067025.story
  2. Kodak sponsorship deal with Drake with “Drake So Kodak” campaigns to sell their new camera product. Here is a clip of a “personal” commercial directly to his fans:
  3. Featured on NBA 2K12 video game commercial by 2K Sports (he was actually featured on the soundtrack for NBA 2K11). Here is the link to the commercial: . He actually reps the Miami Heat, which I’m not very fond of (Lakers!).

But the main source of his income comes from touring. More specifically, his Club Paradise tour, which was the most successful hip hop tour of 2012, grossed over $42 million dollars. It consisted of 60 shows all over the North America and Europe. Link: http://thatgrapejuice.net/2012/07/winning-drakes-club-paradise-tour-pulls-42-million-worldwide/

In addition to his touring success, his 2011 CD album “Take Care” was the 9th  most sold albums in 2012 according to Neilson (http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.20336/title.drakes-take-care-in-the-top-10-most-sold-albums-of-2012), selling over 500,000 copies mid year of 2012.

It’s always great to see an artist profiting from music-related sales, especially in this digital age/pirating music industry.

Drake is the 6th most influential and successful hip hop entrepreneur in 2012.

(#5 and #4 have been uploaded already! Thank you for tuning in!)

 By: Aaron Kim (Duke)

Other sources: http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2012/0905_hip-hop-cash-kings.html

*Sources are provided within the post.

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #4 Kanye West

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The purpose of this blog is to inform the class of America’s “Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012” and the various business ventures in different industries that contributed to their individual successes.

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #4 Kanye West

Name: Kanye Omari West

Stage Name(s): Kanye West

Age: 35

Forbes Hip Hop’s Top Earners List: #4 of 9

How Much??? $35 Million

As promised, we finally have an artist not affiliated with Cash Money Records (no offense).

Born in Atlanta but raised in Chicago, Kanye is an art college drop-out who teamed up with Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records and eventually sold over 30 million digital songs in his career.  He is one of the most decorated artists (award-wise) of all time, and wherever he goes, people listen. But when he’s not stealing the microphone (get it?), he’s constantly looking for new business ventures to start.

Here are some of his past/present/future business ventures:

1. He created G.O.O.D. (Getting Out Our Dreams) Music record label in 2004. Couple artists under the label are: John Legend, Big Sean, Kid Cudi, Mos Def, Pusha T and Q-Tip.

2. Kanye plans to set up 10 Fat Burgers restaurant chains in the Chicago area under his holding company, KW Foods LLC, in 2008. So far, only two have been opened. (Here in the link: http://allhiphop.com/2010/11/22/kanye-west-goes-into-fast-food-with-10-fatburger-restaurants/)

3. In 2011, West partnered up with Parlux Fragrances to create his own cologne which will be in stores this year. (Here is the link: http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.12878/title.kanye-west-to-release-a-cologne-fragrance-in-2011)

4. Started a design company called DONDA (named after his deceased mother) that “will galvanize amazing thinkers and put them in a creative space to bounce there dreams and ideas… I am assembling a team of architects, graphic designers, directors musicians, producers, AnRs, writers, publicist, social media experts… app guys, managers, car designers, clothing designers, DJs, video game designers, publishers, tech guys, lawyers, bankers, nutritionist.” (Kanye on his Twitter account, Jan. 5, 2012). To learn more, here is the link of an article that explains his company more in detail: http://www.mtv.co.uk/news/kanye-west/341610-kanye-west-donda-twitter-mtv-vmas-yeezy)

5. The Fashion Industry: In 2009, Kanye introduced his first shoe line designed for Louis Vuitton at Paris Fashion Week. In 2011, he premiered his first women’s clothing line called DW at Paris Fashion Week with his Spring/Summer 2012 Collection. Then, about seven months later, he presented his Fall Collection 2012 at the same event. But after months of studying/interning in Japan and Italy (worked at Fendi, had a contract with Louis Vuittion, and turned down Versace offer), and even after creating a small design studio is Paris, Kanye was still heavily criticized and gained little respect for his works. He decided not to attend the most recent Fashion Paris Week. For now, his fashion endeavors are on hold. (Here is the link to Kanye’s late night twitter ramblings about the whole experience: http://fashionista.com/2012/01/kanye-west-interned-at-fendi-turned-down-a-gig-at-versace-is-working-on-his-fashion-line-in-london-and-other-things-we-learned-from-his-epic-late-night-twitter-ramble/ Here is the link to some of the criticisms he received for his work: http://www.businessinsider.com/kanye-west-fashion-collection-reviews-2012-9?op=1)

(What do you guys think?)

Although some ventures were considered expenses rather than investments, Kanye was still able to rack up $35 million (mostly thanks to his music) this year – making him the 4th most successful and influential hip hop entrepreneur of 2012.

(In a couple days, I will post up #3! So please stay tuned! Let’s count down to #1 together!)

By: Aaron Kim (Duke)

Other sources: http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2012/0905_hip-hop-cash-kings.html

*Sources are provided within the post.

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #5 Lil’ Wayne

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The purpose of this blog is to inform the class of America’s “Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012” and the various business ventures in different industries that contributed to their individual successes.

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #5 Lil’ Wayne

Name: Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.

Stage Name(s): Lil’ Wayne

Age: 30

Forbes Hip Hop’s Top Earners List: #5 of 9

How Much??? $27 MILLION

Turn on MTV, in fact, turn on any entertainment channel for that matter, and there’s a good chance you’ll see Lil’ Wayne. I swear – he’s everywhere. Many of us know who he is and what’s he’s done in the music industry already, so I’ll cut right to the chase.

Here are some of many business ventures and endorsements that I’ve found that Lil’ Wayne has been on in the past decade:

1. The business venture that triggered all the other ventures in his career – the creation of Young Money Entertainment record label back in 2003. Young Money (which is now called YMCMB, a joint record label with Birdman’s label) is now arguably the hottest record label out today. Just look at their impressive artist lineup: Christina Milian, Cory Gunz, Drake, Flow, Gudda Gudda, Jae Millz, Lil’ Chuckee, Lil’ Twist, Mack Maine, Nicki Minaj, PJ Morton, Shanell, Short Dawg, T-Streets, Torion, and Tyga.

2. Exclusively partnered with Bogey Cigars in 2008 to market different flavored cigars. (If you enter the site, you’ll see Lil’ Wayne face everywhere. Here is the link: http://www.bogeycigars.com)

3. Partnered with SUPRA shoe line to introduce the new “Chimera” in June 2012 (He premiered the new kicks in Las Vegas on August 20, 2012. Here is the link: http://rapfix.mtv.com/2012/08/21/lil-wayne-debuts-supra-sneakers-vegas/)

4. Moutain Dew is working with Lil’ Wayne to campaign “DEWeezy” that includes advertisement appearances and building a skate park in Lil Wayne’s hometown. Here is a clip of one of his commercials:

5. Lil’ Wayne will be releasing a book called “Gone Till November” May 14, 2013. His book is about his incarceration from March to November back in 2010. (If you’re a Lil’ Wayne fan, his book is originally listed as $25.99, but it’s $17.15 if you buy it on Amazon! Here is the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Till-November-Lil-Wayne/dp/1455515264)

6. Lil’ Wayne released his new clothing line “TRUKFIT” in early 2012. (For more info, here is the link: http://trukfit.com/)

7. Partnered with Beats by Dre to create his own bright-red “Tunechi Beats” headphones. (Here is the link: http://keepittrill.com/online/2012/09/lil-wayne-celebrates-tunechi-beats-dre-headphone-release-pictures/)

I’ve always heard that a successful businessman has at least three sources of income; Lil’ Wayne has AT LEAST seven. In one of his recent radio interviews, he stated that he wishes to retire at the age of 35 to focus more on his children – I’d say he’s on the right track, wouldn’t you say?

Lil’ Wayne is the 5th most successful and influential hip hop entrepreneur in 2012 – coming in with $27 Million.

And I promise, this is the last time we’ll be talking about another Cash Money member.

(In a couple days, I will post up #4! So please stay tuned! Let’s count down to #1 together!)

By: Aaron Kim (Duke)

Sources: http://www.lilwaynehq.com/business-ventures/

http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2012/0905_hip-hop-cash-kings.html

*Other sources are provided within the post.

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #7 Birdman

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The purpose of this blog is to inform the class of America’s “Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012” and the various business ventures in different industries that contributed to their individual successes.

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #7 Birdman

Name: Bryan Williams

Stage Name(s): Birdman, Baby

Age: 43

Forbes Hip Hop’s Top Earners List: #7 of 9

How Much in 2012??? $20 MILLION

Birdman has been in the music industry for almost two decades now, and it is clear he has no plans on leaving anytime soon. Co-founder of Cash Money Records (with his brother, Ronald “Slim” Williams), Birdman has an impressive lineup of artists under his label. Nicki Minaj, Jay Sean, Lil Wanye, DJ Khaled, Drake, Tyga, and Bow Wow are just a few of the major acts that contribute to the enormous success of Cash Money Records in the music industry.

His eye for talent in the music scene isn’t the only asset he has under his belt; he’s also skilled in finding new business opportunities that bolster his position in the industry. Few of his recent projects include:

1. In 2010, he ventured into one of the most lucrative businesses in the world, oil and gas. He and his brother decided to create their own company called Bronald Oil and Gas and it was “self-reported” that the company turned $100,000,000 the first year. (There are rumors that the company no longer exists, but no one is exactly sure what of the situation of the company.) Source: http://realtalkny.uproxx.com/2010/01/topic/topic/news/birdman-gets-into-the-oil-business/

2. In 2011, Birdman decided to do a joint-business venture including a production company with DJ Khaled and his own label, “We the Best.” Birdman and DJ Khaled expects to launch a number of new materials this year which include: books, movies (a book is already rewritten for film), Lil Wayne’s new clothing line “TRUKFIT”, and the new GT Vodka. Source: http://theversed.com/2012/03/28/cash-money-ceo-birdman-talks-upcoming-business-deals-including-a-potential-film/

3. He has his own clothing line YMCMB, which stands for Young Money Cash Money Billionares. Source: http://www.ymcmbofficial.com/

4. He has been working on his new album with his long time friend Rick Ross that will be released in the near future. With a monstrous lineup under his label already, there will be no problem getting features for his album – automatically making every track an instant hit.

Birdman claims that he will be the first hip hop artist to reach a billion dollar net value. As of 2012, he is net valued at $125 Million – trailing his fellow hip hop artist and mogul, P Diddy, who is currently net valued at around $500 Million. Although Birdman has quite a ways to go, I would not be surprised if he does actually become the first to reach the billion mark.

Birdman is the 7th most successful and influential hip hop entrepreneur in the year of 2012 – coming in with $20 Million.

(In a couple days, I will post up #6! So please stay tuned! Let’s count down to #1 together!)

By: Aaron Kim (Duke)

Other sources: http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2012/0905_hip-hop-cash-kings.html

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #8 NICKI MINAJ

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The purpose of this blog is to inform the class of America’s “Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012” and the various business ventures in different industries that contributed to their individual successes.

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #8 NICKI MINAJ

Name: Onika Tanya Maraj

Stage Name: Nicki Minaj

Age: 28

Forbes Hip Hop’s Top Earners List: #8 of 9

How Much??? $15.5 MILLION

Surprised?

So am I.

Don’t get me wrong, musically she is arguably the best female Hip Hop artist of all time. She has definitely earned her stripes in the game by being the first female solo artist (under Cash Money Records) to have seven singles on Billboard Hot 100 at the same time plus six BET Awards, two American Music Awards, two MTV Music Awards, and Billboard’s 2011 Rising Star Awards … all in just two years – kudos to her.

But come on, Nicki Minaj as the 8th most successful Hip Hop Entrepreneur of 2012?

I had to check for myself, and here’s what I found:

1. Fashion Industry: She signed a multi-million dollar endorsement with ADIDAS for their Fall/Winter 2012 marketing campaign, in collaboration with Jeremy Scott.

Source: http://hiphopwired.com/2012/04/12/cake-nicki-minaj-inks-adidas-endorsement-deal-photos/

2. Cosmetic Industry: Nicki is also endorsed by MAC Cosmetics, with her own MAC Lip Stick line (which made over $250,000,000!!!)

Source: http://mog.com/blog_post/content/4125/2534654

3. Beverage Industry: She signed a SEVEN-FIGURE endorsement with Pepsi to market and launch their new Pepsi product, POP.

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nicki-minaj-signs-seven-figure-301715

4. Cosmetic Industry: OPI Nail Polish endorsed Nicki’s launch of her first nail polish collection.

Source: http://rollingout.com/entertainment/nicki-minaj-launching-her-first-opi-nail-polish-collection

5. Toy Industry: She has her own Barbie Doll made by MATTEL (though only for charity, still a big accomplishment for her brand)

Source: http://www.billboard.com/news/nicki-minaj-barbie-doll-a-very-major-moment-1005603722.story#/news/nicki-minaj-barbie-doll-a-very-major-moment-1005603722.story

On top of all that, Nicki Minaj also has her new clothing line coming out soon and will also serve as a judge on the 12th season of American Idol starting this January.

Wow, who woulda thunk?…

So after doing a little bit of research, I was sold – coming in with $15.5 Million, our “Hip Hop Barbie” Nicki Minaj has automatically earned her spot as the 8th most successful and influential hip hop entrepreneur of 2012.

(In a couple days, I will post up #7! So please stay tuned! Let’s count down to #1 together!)

By: Aaron Kim (Duke)

Other sources: http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2012/0905_hip-hop-cash-kings.html

(awards source: wiki)

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #9 EMINEM

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Image(Picture source: wir.skyrock.net)

The purpose of this blog is to inform the class of America’s “Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012” and the various business ventures in different industries that contributed to their individual successes.

Countdown Top 9 Hip Hop Entrepreneurs of 2012: #9 EMINEM

Name: Marshall Bruce Mathers III

Stage Name: EMINEM

Age: 39

Forbes Celebrity List: #71 out of 100

Forbes Hip Hop’s Top Earners List: #9 of 9

How Much??? $15 MILLION

What more could you ask for from a guy who sold over 32 million copies in his music career and has 13 Grammy’s under his belt? Nothing.

But Eminem decided to add to his already impressive resume by starting his own record company in 1999 called Shady Records and signing big-time acts such as D12, 50 Cent, Royce Da 5’9, Joe Budden, Slaughterhouse, and Joell Ortiz (just to name a few). In 2002, he took the film industry by storm, playing a leading role in a feature film called 8 Mile. The film grossed over $242,875,078 and won an Academy Award for “Best Original Song.” In 2003, Eminem made a huge splash in the fashion industry with his brand and clothing line, Shady Ltd., making an instant impact on urbanwear. (Shady Ltd. was eventually acquired by Rocawear, Jay-Z’s clothing line.) He also created his own radio channel, Shade 45, which first aired on Sirius XM Radio in 2004, featuring different hip hop artists and DJs while giving a platform for Eminem to connect with his fans all around the world. The popularity of his channel has been growing ever since.

Today, although he is not as active as before in front of the camera, he has been working fervently behind the scenes on many different projects as a music producer. He also announced in July 2012 that he was currently working on his 8th studio album that will be released sometime in 2013. He has made special cameo appearances in different films and television series such as Funny People and The Entourage.

From music, to movies, to TV and fashion, Eminem has made his an everlasting mark in the entertainment industry – easily placing him as the 9th most successful and influential hip hop entrepreneur in the year of 2012 with $15 Million.

(In a couple days, I will post up #8! So please stay tuned! Let’s count down to #1 together!)

By: Aaron Kim (Duke)

Sources:

http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2012/0905_hip-hop-cash-kings.html

http://www.forbes.com/profile/eminem/

http://www.entreceleb.com/2011/10/eminem-business-cypher.html